Method for crystallizing fats



May 14, 1940. c. DEDLOW METHOD FOR CRYSTALLIZING FATS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Aug. 30, 1937 Cai Z fiedzo'w INVENTOR 3 ATTORNEY y 14, 1940- c.DEDLOW 2,200,982 I METHOD FOR CBYSTALLIZING FATS Filed Aug. 30, 1957 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Laz-Z Dedlow INVENTOR ijziw i ATTORNEY Patented May 14,1940 2,200,982 METHOD FOR CBYSTALLIZING FATS Carl M Dedlow,

Swift & Company, Chicago,

of Illinois Application 2 Claims.

This invention relates to the purification of fats and oils. One of theobjects, of the invention is to provide an improved method of purifying.fats and oils.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved method ofremoving from fats and oils, components having a higher melting pointthan the fat or oil.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the description andclaims which follow.

The drawings exemplify one form of apparatus which may be employed inpracticing the method of the present invention.

Figure 1 is a side view of the machine. Figure 2 is a section on theline 2-2 of Figure 1. Figure 3 is an elevation of the rear end of theupper container.

The device illustrated in the drawings com- 20 prises two similar unitsill, the first unit l0 being disposed above and to one end of the secondunit l0. It is deemed necessary to describe but one unit It.

As shown in Figure 2, unit I0 is U-shaped in 25 cross section and isprovided with outwardly flanged edges l2. Cover I4 is dished throughoutits length and at its longitudinal edge I6 is bent first upwardly andthen outwardly thus forming margins Ilia;

40 cated with the treated oil or fat to avoid contamination either by amineral oil or by metal;

Conveyor 24 is fitted closely between particles. the inner walled areaof unit Ill and cover 14 to avoid the accumulation of cooled material 45against the inner walls of unit It! and cover 14.

This arrangement is found to portant in the second unit l0 because ofthe greater stiffness of the treated oil or fat therein.

Shaft 28 at one'of-its ends is extended exteriorly of unit Ill and isexteriorly rotatably driven through the medium of drive wheel orvotherwise rigidly secured thereon. at its end extended exteriorly of.unit II also is journaled through bearing 26. 1

adapted to fit onmargins i2; 30 Cover I4 is hingedly mounted as at I8and is hard wood and is 1ubri-"" be especially irn-' 34 pinioned Shaft28 La Plata, Argentina, assignor to 11]., a corporation August so,1931," Serial No. 1 1,545 ArgentinaMarch 24, 19 3! The outside of unitIn is partly coveredby jacket 38 so positioned that there remains aspace 40 between the jacket 38 and unit Ill. The

longitudinal edges inwardly and are fixedly secured 38a of jacket 38 arecurved to'unit l0, and I likewise, jacket at its end edges is fixedlysecured to unit l0 so that the space between the jacket 38 and The spaceunit I0 is completely closed.

40 is in communication with source of refrigerating material, forexample, water ,for the first unit l0 and brine for. the second unit l0,through a conduit 42 located near the end of unit I0 and remote fromdrive wheel 34. Conduit'42, it will be seen, is provided with aplurality ofbranches 44 which discharge into space 40 and which aredesigned to secure uniform distribution of the refrigerating liquidsthrough space 40. Conduit 42 is further provided with valve 46 andthermometer 48.

looks, release valve most part of space 40. The refrigerating liquidsare circulated through spaces To avoid air 50 is provided in the uppervIll 40 in a direction I counter to the direction of movement of thetreated material. The refrigerating liquids are passed from spaces duits54 and dischargepipes 58.

40 through outlets 52, con- 'Each ofthe' conduits 54 is provided with athermometer 56. 7 Unit I0 is further provided in the bottom part thereofwith 'a discharge with valve 62, and

charge orifice opening 60, provided at a higher level with a dis- 84.The first unit It is carried by a frame '86 which supports it in asubstantially horizontal position.

- The second unit Ill is car-.

ried by a corresponding frame 68. The second 7 unit III islongitudinally supported at a angle, 5 the lower end thereof beinglocated below the first unit Ill in such wise that the discharge opening60 of the first unit I0 is above the inlet opening of the second unitl0. Both of the units II) are externally covered with sulating materialof sufilcient thickness.

Conveyor 24 is driven from a source of power a layer of heat incoupledto a gear box 14 which is provided with a pulley 16 coupled to drivewheel 34 by means of belt 18 or the like.

In practicing the method of the present invention, the preheated fatarrives through conduit Ill and falls, ata temperature of approximately120" E, into the interior of the first unit I0 where the temperature isreduced to approximately. r. veyor carries the In the first unit ii thescrew confat continuously forwardly and delivers it finally throughopening ll into the seccndunit ll,into

which it enters at a teniperaa ture of approximately 100 F., coolingdown to approximately 92 F.

The fat on passing through the first unit I0 is cond refrigeration towhich they are subjected.

'I'h e chilled fat passing from the second unit Ill ,falls into tank 80from which it is taken as by dipping or other suitable manner, topresses for filtering. The chilled fat may be filtered through canvas ofeight ounces, or its equivalent.

The method herein disclosed has the advantage that the crystals grow toa size sufliciently large to enable them to be retained by the filteringcloths, thus allowing of the separation of the unsolidified part of thefats. Such treatment allows the volume of the crystals to be increasedto a predetermined size and moreover prevents the crystals fromgrowing-together, so that the separation of the oleo from the stearincan be carried out with the greatest possibleease. I The apparatus maybe run continuously or intermittently. In the latter case, the firstunit I0 is completely filled with hot fat which is cooled by the actionof cold water until it reaches a temperature at which it may be suitablytransferred to the second unit l0, and the crystallization is completedin the second-unit 10 while the first unit I0 is being refilled. Inthe-former case, the fat is allowed to reach the first unit in acontinuous stream and pass continuously through the second unit to theoutlet where it arrives ready for pressing.

I claim:

1. The method of treating oil to remove therefrom the components havinga melting point higher than the oil which comprises quickly chilling theoil to, a temperature sufiicient to form seed crystals of the componentshaving the higher melting point, quickly chilling the chilled oil a to alower temperaturesufiicient to cause the seed crystals to increase byaccretion and to solidify substantially all of the components having thehigher melting point and thereafter separating the crystals from theoil.

2. The method of treating oil to remove therefrom the components havinga melting point higher than the oil which comprises heating the oil to atemperature above the melting point of the components having the highermelting point;

quickly chilling the oil to a temperature below the melting point of thecomponents having the higher melting point to form seed crystals of thecomponents having the higher melting point, quickly chilling the chilledoil to a lower temperature suflicient to cause the seed crystals toincrease by accretion and to solidify substantially all of'tliecomponents having the higher melting point and thereafter tals from the011.

CARL DEDLOW.

separating the crys-

